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School Archive

Remember that mountain I was climbing? The top was recovery? The bottom was the hospital? Well, I landed on the roof of the hospital not too long after the post went live. And god I wanted in those doors. I wanted admitted. I wanted to feel safe again. But, we couldn’t really afford it.

I was, however, given the green light to drop classes this semester. It increased the stress over money, (Care to donate? The button is to the right. It’ll go to things like electric and gas.) but the stress over trying to pull off school was actually worse. I was so stressed I was losing my ability to concentrate and function as a human being. And I just couldn’t advance my education through that.

Am I dropped out for good? Hell no! But for sure the rest of winter semester and maybe summer semester as well. I’ll have to pay back on my loans some, but if David, the Brother-in-law that lives with us, gets the job he’s talking about, that will still be less stressful than trying to focus on my education.

So I’ll take something like nine months off, including what I’ve already taken, which will be spent bettering my medication cocktail, spending time with my sister and seeing if she’ll survive this failing liver issue, and rebuilding a friendship I thought I had lost. Hell, maybe it is lost for good, I don’t know. I’ve been told something will be figured out, but we’ll see. If I do have that friendship back, however, I’ll have an essential part of my personal support system back in place. So we’ll see. If he is loss, then I will have mourned and healed by then.

Altogether, come August or September, I plan to be ready to reenter the academic world, ready to take names, kick ass, and keep my GPA where it’s at. I do love learning and school, even if it is stressful at times. It just needs to be about the only major stressor.

Which is good, as I might owe the school a couple thousand due to the timing of me dropping. That part is still being worked out. Ideally they will let me pay it back with future loan money. Or a payment plan, or it will be forgiven. Who knows. It’ll be decided.

My academic advisor knows the full situation and knows this isn’t me being lazy but my life exploding in my face, on top of my debilitating mental health issues. He also has access to the grades I’ve pulled off. So he is going to work with financial aid for me, and they will come to a solution. So I’m choosing to not worry about it. Even a payment plan is less stressful than what I was going through just a few days ago.

The ugly cry automatically triggered by going to the school site, was a clear sign that is was time to give up pretending I could school. So was the cutting.

So now, I’m not without stress, but I removed what I could, so I can better focus on healing from what I can’t.

I’ll keep this brief. Just with all the years of battles I went through to get here, I am proud to say I’m officially a Sophomore based off the number of credits needed to graduate quartered. I’m also maintaining my perfect 4.o. I’m also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. I was also invited to go to China or Australia this summer as an International Scholar Laureate and represent American business students. However, the hefty price tag attached made that not so appealing of a thought. There are other programs and other summers.

As of yesterday I’m back in classes after a much needed 8 week break. I’ll still end up being full time this term. I just scheduled it squished together. You can assume I’ll regret that come semester end in 12 weeks, but then I’ll be taking the summer off. So work hard now, play later.

I know. I don’t call. I don’t write. Yet here I am wanting to talk school?

Alright. My duel major for my Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Applied Psychology are already in the works.

From there I was planning my Masters in Psychology.

But. Out of the schools I’m looking at, most don’t even offer a masters in psychology. Even if they do, you need a specific quantity of credit hours from your undergrad to be in psychology. My current undergrads just aren’t going to cut it.

But a third Bachelor’s in general psychology would.

And I can get that at the local really good university I plan to get my Psy.D. at. It’s one of the best schools for psychology in the country, even. (But they don’t offer a master’s in it.)

But then.

If I’m doing that, and I’m already planning to get the Psy.D. in the end, none of the school I prefer even offer a masters in Psychology, and you don’t need the masters for the doctorate, why am I trying for the masters? How much debt do I want? How many degree do I intend to collect? (The answer is now and always will be: All of them.) (Did you know federal student loan debt gets discharged when you die?)(Guys! If I’m a student until the day I die, at a very old age or of any other natural causes, I won’t ever have to pay my loans back!)(Just saying: I could be a professional student.)(I mean, it IS looking that way anyway.)(Gotta catch them all!)(It took me a decade to get to school, I’m never leaving!)(People that like, I don’t know, chase down to get money from people who actually do this, please know I’m joking.)(I intend to use my degrees.)

I’m still toying with the Masters in Business Psychology which is the follow-up to my B.S. Applied Psychology.

But if I do that I might as well just drop my B.A. in Business Admin. I’ve always argued business is a great foundation to anything, but at this point, I’ll pay someone with a business degree if I actually have a private practice. (Plus I think I’m just holding on tight because in my decade long fight for school, this has been the planned degree. But I’m in school, I’m pulling noting but A’s, and I’m in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Fight is over. I can let it go. Please don’t start singing that song.)

So that means I’m looking at the following for my full degree set:

B.S. in Applied Psychology

B.A. in Psychology

M.S. in Business Psychology

Psy.D. in Psychology

Then possibly med school which would involve pre-med and then the M.D. It would have its advantages but it also time-consuming, expensive, and involves cutting open/up dead bodies. We’ll see.

This makes sense? I mean, I can always change my mind as I go, as long as I’m not mid degree. Right?

Wait, I did tell you all I got invited to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, right? I accepted.

Karen Marrs
According to the internet I’m part banana. And you could be up to 10% more or less banana than I.http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/4794434/Bananana/Karen Marrs
You know, fuck opening a practice… I should go into the research side of things. Genetics, etc.
What DNA marker, if any, makes a person more predisposed to depression, etc? What can be done about it? Science is headed towards fucking with DNA to “fix” people, so why not play my role as a scientist?http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/health/ivf-mitochondria/index.html?sr=fb022614threeparentbabies9p
It took them awhile but scientific research lead to the discovery of the correlation between the veins in the hands and fibro, now scientists have to decide how to use that knowledge to fix fibro for good.
I could do that shit!Patrick Marrs
DNA = Chem -nods- you would be good at ChemKaren Marrs
I slept through high school chem. It was at like 8AM. You do the math. Or I showed up late because I “missed my bus”, with Starbucks in hand. But shit, the Starbucks right there at and was walking distance from my high school. If they had given me means to buy coffee, real coffee, at school, I wouldn’t have been late to chem and I might have actually stayed awake.Karen Marrs
If I did go into research my degrees in business would be pointless. I mean, I’m still getting my bachelors in that because that is useful no matter the field. Even science is a business, sadly. But I could do right from this bachelors to my doctorates. I need to rethink everything. I mean, I want to help people and with my own practice I could do that, but think of the people I could help on the research side of things? I could do what the big bang characters do, only at OSU.Karen Marrs
And, here is where I go vain. Most people are right-brained or left-brained. I’m both. How many research scientists can claim that? How many can really think logically AND creatively. Scientific research could use more creative thinking. When logic just doesn’t seem to be working, I’m really good at thinking outside the box. Fuck, my box doesn’t even exist!9:14 PM
My bachelors in business, my masters in psychology, then pre-med, then med. Then I go from there.Patrick Marrs
This conversation is smarter than me which tells me that whatever you decide will be well-informed and ‘right’.Karen Marrs
Holy hell
This feels so right!

School is going. I’m doing quite well, but the classes I’m taking are college writing and Math. So they were going to go well. Should help pad my GPA for when the going gets tough. I did realize, much to my delight, that now that I’m full-time I’m eligible for the Dean’s List. I look forward to my placement this trimester. You hear confidence because there is no reason I won’t.

I enjoy my Math class being in an actual classroom. I think I might make a point of one in-class a trimester. It gets me out of the house in a healthy setting and fashion. I’m in a place where I’m looking to meet people for various reasons. Don’t look at me like that, I don’t sleep with every hand I shake. Not even a notable fraction.

Speaking of… I’ve been on a few first and follow-up dates. I’ve been stood up a few times. I had one guy who looked promising end up not being promising. That sucked. Though the fashion in which that spiraled out, his loss. I just recently had another first date also promising with a second date on the horizon. I still maintain I’m looking for a best friend first and foremost. The rest is just what it is or isn’t.

Speaking of best friends there is someone a true best friend whom has been there for me as long as I’ve known him and he is so exactly perfect in what I need and what I’m looking for. But it isn’t to be. At least I still have that friendship and he is the standard I will hold every other guy on the planet to. But sometimes… I really wish he could be. I know I see him as a white knight but in over 2 years and countless tests I’ve never been presented with a hint of a reason not to. Even Pat supports this friendship though the depths of it are mine and mine alone. I assume Pat knows I have feeling there. I don’t have to discuss it with him. Pat knows my heart. But even without official discussion, Pat, if he should read this, is nodding along in agreement. He knows how deeply I care for this person. And he knows this person is good for me. And he supports this friendship like he supports me breathing oxygen. I write this in fear that the other person could someday read this and question if I can be trusted. I write this knowing trust would never be betrayed. I write this knowing I wish he would read it and find support where I’m willing to bet he never suspected. I can’t know for sure but it’s a safe assumption. I know my husband and my husband knows me. I am great with secrets but Pat is great with me.

So I dally on with first dates, last dates. First kisses, last kisses. Being stood up, and losing hours to unexpected conversation. Comparing them all to the one who won’t be.

And I’m happy with Pat. I know the past decade has been rocky, but this feels right. Not because I get to fuck around, because I’m not, but because this brings me a spark to Pat. If anything, in my quest to show Pat he is my number one man, I’m looking for new and exciting ways to show him my affections. In his quest to remind me what I have in him, he’s being the man I always wanted but never realized I had. He would be doing this anyway, I would be doing this anyway, but this element of the open marriage keeps that spark lit as we are on our toes to never forget the partner that really matters.

We’ve been to the art museum twice, once with the 10-year-old. He took me to see The Princess Bride on the big screen. The local theater showed it one showing only. We giggled together in advance of the scenes we knew were coming. We spoke along in parts, not the only one in a theater full of fans to do so. We are going to an art gallery for Valentine’s day. I have the most romantic thing I’ll ever pull off, planned for late valentines, early anniversary. I’m excited to romance Pat and be romanced by Pat.

And yes, I’m excited to be in the dating world, even when it has me not wanting to leave my bed from time to time because I got dumped in the most childish way ever. But I’m out there having fun. And I don’t mean *nudge nudge wink wink* fun. I mean the fun of getting out there and meeting people and just leaving the damn house, fun.

Feeling desired and attractive and young and vibrant helps too. This helps my self-confidence more than it hurts it. I can’t take getting stood up too personally. But I’m actually starting to learn I might actually be kind of not ugly.

And that’s been 30 years in coming.

So if you want to know what I’ve been up to in the new year, I’d have to say the answer is reading, studies, and dates. Good and bad.

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